A blocked link, or one being checked

Steps

1. You add a link: it is published right away, except for a recent or low-trust account, where it carries the Being checked badge until the robot passes (a few minutes).
2. The robot visits the destination: blacklist, Google Safe Browsing, program download, pornographic, violent or hateful content, gambling, drugs or weapons, phishing, as well as the signs of a scam campaign: a file dropped on raw cloud storage, an image instead of a website, a decoy page, a randomly typed domain name, other links of the same account already blocked or flagged. The page itself is read too: name, description, address and the titles of its links.
3. If the destination breaches the terms, the link carries the Blocked badge, disappears from the public page (or stops redirecting for a short link), and you receive a notification then an e-mail.
4. You believe it is a mistake: open a ticket from Support, quoting the address. Every contestation is reviewed by a person; unblocking restores the link as it was.

What is checked

The real destination of the link, after its redirects: the domain name, the type of file served, the page title and content. A site recognised as malicious is added to TinyLink’s blacklist: it is then refused as soon as it is typed. Prohibited content is the one listed in the terms of use: pornography, violence and hate, phishing and malware, counterfeiting, gambling, unlawful content. A short link that suddenly receives a surge of clicks (more than 200 in an hour) is re-checked straight away, except on a paid plan: for a recent account, it goes back to Being checked while the team looks at it.

Editing a blocked link

Changing a link’s destination triggers a new check: if the new address complies, the link is republished at the robot’s next pass. A blocked link or page can be deleted as usual. A whole page is only removed when its own text (name, description, titles) breaches the terms.

A link that leads nowhere

If the domain name of the destination does not exist (typo, expired domain), you receive a notification One of your links leads nowhere. It is not a block: correct the address of the link, and the check starts again by itself.

Blocked account

Repeated attempts to open or edit items that do not belong to you block the account, as does a link to a site recognised as malicious by Google Safe Browsing (malware, phishing) or listed on TinyLink’s blacklist: signing in is no longer possible and an e-mail explains why. Recourse then goes through the site’s contact form; when the team unblocks the link, the account and the trust points are restored.